Claim: A picture shows the dead body of Pakistani teenager Arsalan Naseer’s father, who, according to reports, died due to police brutality in August 2023.
Fact: The picture is neither related to Arsalan Naseer nor from Pakistan.
On 14 August 2023, X (formerly Twitter) user @AamnaFasihi tweeted (archive) a picture of a dead body being moved into what appears to be an ambulance alongside the following caption:
“14 yr old Arsalan’s father’s mayyat [dead body]. Arsalan was picked up by fascist State in May then released after 3 months & this week police came to arrest him again which led to Arsalan’s father getting a cardiac arrest. But sure, calling fascist barbie @hinaparvezbutt bakri is sooo bad!”
Arsalan Naseer is a teenager who was “wrongly” booked for allegedly participating in the 9 May protests over the arrest (archive) of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, Imran Khan, according to Rana Intizar Hussain, an advocate who says he secured the boy’s bail.
In a video statement (archive), Hussain narrated that Punjab Police conducted three raids at the teenager’s home after he was released on bail by a judge. He was kept in detention for more than a month and 20 days, the lawyer said, the raids were carried out on 9 and 10 August 2023.
During this time, Arsalan Naseer’s father suffered a heart attack and died, he added, refuting claims of torture made here and here, as well as by PTI leader and former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Qasim Khan Suri, here (archive).
The lawyer — who dispelled “false and misleading reports on social media” — also alleged that the police officers sexually harassed Naseer’s sisters and engaged in intimidation at their father’s funeral.
The 9 May protests saw multiple public and military installations being attacked and the date was later called (archive) “Black Day” and a “dark chapter” by the Pakistan Army. Different news reports claim that thousands of people have been arrested for participating in the demonstrations.
In its response on X, Punjab Police denied (archive) claims of torture but did not provide an explanation for the other allegations.
بزرگ کی طبعی موت کو مختلف رنگ دے کر سوشل میڈیا کے ذریعے سننی پھیلانے کی ناکام کوشش کی گئی ھے آور بزرگ شہری کی تدفین بھی ہو چکی ھے۔@OfficialDPRPP @ccpolahore
— Lahore Police Official (@Lahorepoliceops) August 14, 2023
It is important to mention here that Soch Fact Check is not investigating claims of Naseer’s arrest or the torture of his father, only the image being shared.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check ran the image through TinEye Reverse Image Search and found the picture on the British stock photography agency Alamy, where it was uploaded in 2018.
Credited to BSIP SA, a scientific and medical photo agency, the picture is said to have been taken on 6 October 2018 in France.
It is titled, “Working on a dead body in a mortuary room in an hospital,” and captioned, “The firm of undertakers in the hospital carries the deceased to another place, PACA, FRANCE.”
Virality
Soch Fact Check found two tweets that gained significant traction — by @QasimKhanSuri and @Shada_pakistani — with over 173,000 and 321,000 views, respectively. Other posts can be found here, here, here, and here.
The tweet by @AamnaFasihi received 77 reposts, 143 likes, and 5,932 views.
The picture was also shared here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook.
Conclusion: The picture is neither related to Arsalan Naseer nor from Pakistan.
Background image in cover photo: @PTIOfficial
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